Viet Nam to keep 3.8 million hectares of land for rice

HA NOI – Viet Nam will protect land from non-agricultural projects to ensure about 3.8 million hectares of land for rice by 2020, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.

The minister made the comments on a television show that saw him responding to questions from the public on Sunday.

To make farmers more passionate about the paddy field, Phat said his ministry was co-ordinating with relevant sectors and localities to disseminate laws to farmers and give them policies in cultivation such as supplying new quality and high-yield rice varieties, building large fields and supporting application of advanced machinery for production.

In case farmers are forced to move out of their paddy field, they will receive compensation for site clearance and support for vocational training and the switch to another job with a higher income. -- VNS